Stamp vending machines



Dec. 23, 1958 `w13. FITZGERALD 2,865,699

' STAMP VENDING MACHINES Filed Dec. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l MM M .Af/s Arrone/VE Dec. 23, 1958 w. B. FITZGERALD 2,865,699

STAMP VENDING MACHINES Filed Dec. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 STAMP VENDEN@ MACHINES Wiliiam lll. Fitzgerald, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 2i), 1954, Serial No.476,463

3 Claims., (Cl. 3mm-39) This invention relates to novel improvements in vending machines, and more particularly in stamp vending machines.

A principal object of the invention is to provide in a stamp vending machine a novel and useful arrangement for vending postage stamps `trom a roll mounted within the machine, such arrangement embodying the feature for controlling the number of stamps to be vended.

Another and equally important object of the invention is the provision of an arrangement to prevent the stamps from becoming jammed in the trani; or stamp during the vending operation.

Another obiect of invention is the provision of a simpliiied arrangement for facilitating severing the landed stamps from a web of stamps.

@ther obiects will hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to hereinafter described and claimed.

rEhe invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a stamp vending machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail View taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stamp track embodied in my invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail View taken substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pawl embodied in the invention;

Eig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the stamp guide plates;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the plates of the stamp track or guide embodied in my invention and showing a modilied form of construction;

Fig.' l() is an enlarged fragmenarf perspective view of certain of the moving mechanism;

Fig. l1 is a perspective view of the web guide.

The several objects of my invention are preferably accomplished by the preferred form of construction shown in the accompanying drawings.

While the invention more particularly relates to a stamp vending machine, it will be apparent from the description to follow that the invention may be incorpora l in vending machines of various descriptions and purposes.

rates ldatenr t Y 2,355,599 Patented Dec. 23, 1958 The preferred form of construction of the invention, as shown in the drawings, includes a mounting plate 10. rl-his plate iti is mounted within an enclosure 11 comprising a removable back wall 12 and a front :wall 13, the upper end 14 of which tapers inwardly and rearwardly toward the top wall 15. The bottom portion of the front wall tapers inwardly and downwardly as at 16 in a direction toward the bottom 17 of the enclosure i1.

The plate 1) may be mounted within the enclosure 11 in any suitable manner. Such plate it) carries at its upper end portion a container 18 having a removable front wall 19. Within this container is adapted to be positioned a roll of stamps 20. The web 21 from the roll of stamps Ztl passes through a slot 22 formed in the cylindrical wall of the container 18. This web 2l extends downwardly and passes through a track or guide 23.

This guide 23 is mounted upon extensions 23 of the plate 1@ and comprises superimposed plates 24 and Z5 secured together and providing therebetween a passage 26 for the web 21. The upper plate 25 includes an extension 26 having secured thereto as at 27 a spring finger 28, the lower end 29 of which is serrated to provide spaced teeth which yieldably bear upon the adjacent surface of the web to restrain the same from retraction from the guide 23.

The forward or opposite end portion of the upper plate 2S terminates into a downwardly curved lip 30 having a straight edge 31. The lower plate 24 terminates just short of this curved lip Sil and is serrated to provide a plurality of spaced teeth 32 (Figs 4, 8 and ll).

An extension 23 provides a depending lip 33 which facilitates grasping of the vended stamps by reason of the fact that when such stamps are grasped, the vended portion of the web is restrained by the lip 33 from moving rearwardly during the grasping operation.

To remove the vended stamp or stamps, the user grasps the vended stamps and pulls the same at an angle against the teeth 32, which teeth will engage in the preformed perforations of the web and thereby facilitate the severing of the vended stamp or stamps from the remaining portion of the web.

The stamps are intermittently moved through the guide 23 by means of a plurality of lingers 34 arranged in parallel relation with respect to each other and pivotally mounted upon a piu 35 carried by a foot 36 of an arm 3'7. The fingers are independently yieldably urged into stamp-engaging position by means of springs 38 (Fig. 6). By this arrangement, should there be any unevenness in the web of stamps or any defect in the perforations thereof, one or more of the lingers 34 will nevertheless engage the perforations of the stamp web to facilitate the vending of the stamp or stamps.

To prevent the end of the web ot stamps from striking against the edge 39 (Fig. 1l) of the opening fit) through which the stamp engaging ends 41 of the ngers 3d pass, l provide in an elongated opening 42 provided in the upper plate 25, a wire 43 curved to conform to the curvature of the guide 23 and having its end terminating beneath the lip 30 as at 44. By this arrangement, should the end of the web of stamps tend to curl upwardly at the point where it is intended to pass beneath the lip 3G, the end of the wire 43 will prevent such curled end from finding passage upwardly through the opening where it might otherwise jam the movement of the web of stamps. The arm 37, as shown in Fig. 2, is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 45 provided by the mounting plate 1t).

Mounted for pivotal movement on this pin 45 is an actuating disc 46. A slot and pin connection 47 provides operative connection between the disc 46 and the arm 37. Gn the arm 37 is a latching pawl ib which is adapted to have latched engagement with a pin 49 carried by the mounting plate lt?. The arm 37 is moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 by the action of a spring connected to the arm 37 as at 51 and to the disc 46 as at 52. The pawl 48 is yieldably held in latched position by a spring 53. The pawl 4S has an angled end portion Sli (Figs. 2 and 7) which projects through a slot 55 formed in the arm 37. The end of the disc d6 is provided with an extension S6 which, when the disc 46 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Pig. 2, 'wirl engage the angular end portion d, pivot the pawl di from iatched engagement with the pin 49, and free the arm 37 for pivotal movement to the right as viewed in Pig. 2, to dispose the toot of the arm 37 in position to engage the web of stamps, to move such web in an opposite direction when the arm 37 is moved in such direction. The movement of the arm 37 in a direction to advance the web of stamps through the guide 23 is accomplished by the engagement of the pin 47' of the slot and pin connection 47 in o-ne end of the slot 48', at which time when the disc S6 is rotated in a cocltwise direction, the pin 47 will act upon the arm 37 and pivot the arm in a direction tovadvance the web of stamps to the left, as shown in Fig. 2.

0n the mounting plate 10 is removably positioned a lateral pin 57. The po-sition of this pin is such that it will permit the foot of the arm 37 to engage the web of stamps at a point such that, when the web of stamps is advanced through the guide 23 to the lett, as viewed in Fig. 2, two stamps will be vended to the purchaser.

By positioning the pin 57 in the opening 53, only one stamp will be vended. By positioning the pin 57 in the opening 532, three stamps will be vended. By this simple arrangement, the number of stamps to be vended by the machine may be changed from one to two or three by simply relocating the pin 57 in the proper' opening. The pin 57 may be screw-threaded into the opening or it may be otherwise ixed to the mounting plate it) as by means of a nut threaded upon the end thereof.

The disc i6 is provided with a handle 60 which moves thro-ugh an elongated slot 61 formed in the front wall i3 of the enclosure lll. The lmovement of this disc d6 is normally restrained by a coin-actuated latching arm 62 provided with a latch finger 63 which is adapted to engage an extension 64 on the disc d6 to restrain the disc d6 from movement until a proper coin has been deposited in the slot 65.

A coin deposited in the slo-t 65 is, by channel 6d, guided to a coin weighing plate 67 pivoted as at 63. if the coin, is of proper weight, it will pivot the plate 67 out of blocking position of the outlet slot 69 of the channel, permitting the coin to drop to a guideway 7d, where it will be deposited in a coin pocket 71 (Fig. 2) provided by an extension 73 of the disc #i6 and the lower end portion of the guideway 70.

A coin positioned in the pocket 71 will, when the disc d6 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, engage a lifting finger 74- provided by the latch arm 62. As the disc 46 is moved, the coin, by reason ot engagement with this iinger 7d, will pivot the arm 62 in a clockwise direction` as viewed in Fig. 2, against the action of a spring 75 to release the disc 46 for pivotal movement in an anticlockwise direction. The coin is carried by the pocket 71 to an acceptance chute 76, from which the coin drops into a suitable coin box, or the like (not shown).

To eject the coin from the pocket 7 il, there is provided spring finger 77, the laterally bent end portion 7% of which is adapted to pass into an opening 7i@ formed in gui deway.

4 the extension 73 and engage the coin in the pocket 'Ti and yieldably project the coin from the pocket into the guideway 7d.

To assure that the disc 46 will malte a tull-strolre during the vending operation of a stamp or stamps and to prevent what is known as fmilking the machine by merely rotating the disc i6 back and forth, i provide a full-stroke device iid. ln the present instance, this full stroke device comprises an edge portion on the disc d6 providing a row of teeth Si which, when engaging a pawl ST., cannot be rotated other than in an anticlocltwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, with the result that in order to return the disc d6 to its original starting position, the full vending stroke thereof must be completed. A fullstro-ke device such as that just described is well-known in the art and its function and purpose well understood.

A coin which is not of the proper weight will not tilt the plate 67, with the result that the coin will be returned to a coin return cup 33 provided on the front i3 of the enclosure 11. i In Fig. 9, l have shown a slightly modified form of construction with respect to the upper plate 25 of the In this construction, in lieu of the wire 43, l have provided a web d3 formed integral with the plate, as shown in Fig. 9. This web accomplishes the same function as the wire 11i-3.

The several advantages of my invention will be clearly understood and appreciated from a reading of the foregoing description. l have provided a stamp vending machine by which a simple adjustment may vend one or more stamps; a machine which is positive in its operation; one which comprises a minimum number of parts, with the result that the machine can be manufactured at an economical cost.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ot variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. l, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modications as come within the scope of the appended claims. v

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A guide for a web of stamps vended from a roll comprising two superimposed plates providing therebetween a guide way, the bottom plate providing a serrated transversely extending edge at the dispensing end of said guide way, the to-p plate providing a downwardly curled lip in spaced confronting relation about said serrated edge for deecting said web in a downward direction, said top plate having an elongated slot formed in a longitudinal direction therein and a member in said slot and extending longitudinally with respect thereto and terminating at a point beneath said lip and between said serrated edge and said lip to engage and deflect the web of stamps in a downward direction.

2. A guide for a web of stamps vended from a roll comprising two superimposed plates providing therebetween a guide way, the bottom plate providing a ser rated transversely extending edge at the dispensing end of said guide way, the top plate providing a downwardly curled lip in spaced confronting relation about said ser rated edge for deilecting said web in a downward direction, said top plate having an elongated slot formed in a longitudinal direction therein and a wire finger in said slot and extending longitudinally with respect thereto and terminating at a point beneath said lip and between said serrated edge and said lip to engage and deilect the web of stamps in a downward direction.

3. A vending machine comprising in combination, a guide for guiding the movement of an article to be vended in a longitudinal direction with respect to the guide,'a manually rotatable disc carried within said machine, an article engaging member for moving said article in one direction to be vended from said machine comprisingan arm pivotally carried by said disc, means for pivoting said arm relative to said disc and in a like direction when said disc is rotated, means for releasably latching said arm against pivotal movement until said disc has been rotated the predetermined distance in one direction, a slot and pin connection between said disc and said arm to move said arm in a direction to vend said article from said machine, and a spring finger carried on said guide to prevent jamming of an article therein.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS White Jan. 12, 1915 Allen Jan. l2, 1915 Allen Feb. 9, 1915 Helsel May 27, 1919 Grunwald Ian. 13, 1931 Jones June 27, 1939 Steiner July 9, 1940 

